HP buys PwC's consulting arm

$17.5bn gets the lot

News has leaked out that Hewlett-Packard has agreed to spend $17.5 billion on PriceWaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) consulting arm.

According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with the situation said that although there were still alot of details to be hammered out, a price had been agreed. The talks are now focussed on how much the 2000 partners and 30,000 consultants will get paid from the sale.

The consulting unit at PwC took $7.1 billion in revenue in fiscal 1999. ®